Bath mat and the like



O 940. F. A. sHiNER BATH MAT AND THE LIKE Filed July 15, 1958 I raven/30?.- Ran/Z: 2H. Gainer:

Patented Oct. 15, 1940 i Q 'FICE BATH MAT AND THE LIKE 'Frank A, Shiner, Franklin, Mass. g Application July 15, 1938, Serial mlzlassi I 2 Claims (c1. 4 185)? I My invention relates particularly to bath and other mats, and-in general, to sheet material to be employed in situations where it is desired to provide a friction tread to prevent slippage of the hands or feet or other portions of the body of the accompany drawing, the scope of theinvention being more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a fragment of a bath mat or the like constructed according to the invention, with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig.. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing mats according to Figs. 1 and 2 applied to surfaces of a bath-tub.

Referring to the drawing, the mat or other article, which may be of any convenient size suitable for the situation in which it is to be employed, comprises a body portion 1 preferably of non-elastic, non-resilient, readily bendable material. Conveniently, this material is in the form of a metal sheet having the properties men tioned, and having, preferably, sufficient density to impart requisite weight to the article while permitting it to be relatively thin. For example, but without limitation thereto, the sheet may be of lead about one sixty-fourth of an inch thick. Ihe sheet, however, can be lead alloy, tin, tin alloy, and, when weight is not important, even aluminum or aluminum alloy, and like materials so long as the sheets have the properties desired.

As illustrated, the metal sheet is provided with relatively closely spaced openings in the form of stamped-out perforations 3 and 5. These may be of any convenient size and shape. Satisfactory results will be secured, for example, but without limitation thereto, with a lead sheet of the thickness mentioned having circular perforations 3 about seven-tenths of an inch in diameter placed on one inch centers, the perforations 5 being about one-quarter of an inch in diameter.

As illustrated, the metal sheet is covered at opposite sides thereof with sheets 'I of flexible material, preferably rubber, such as, for example,

but without limitation' thereto, sheetsof relatively purecrepc-rubber'which per se are relatively flaccid. Other sheets of flexible material however may be employed as, for example, relatively flexible rubberized sheet material such as rubber coated or impregnated textile or paper material, or rubberized sheets consisting of mixtures of rubber and cork or the like. The sheets not necessarily; but preferably, are waterproof.

The sheets I, which may be of suitable thickness say,'for example, but without limitation. thereto, about one thirty-second of an inch, cover the perforations 3 and 5, and at those perforations contact with each other and emented together.- Such construction presents flexible article portions where the sheets extend over the perforations, and in fact presents at said perforations cups of small depth indicated at 9 in Fig. 2. 1

The construction described permits the article readily to conform to curved or irregular supporting surfaces on account of the presence of are I the lead or other metal sheet of the character I where they cross the openings 3 and 5 are yieldable to form in effect, in conjunction with the relatively non-yieldable metal sheet, vacuum cups causing the article strongly to adhere to the surface to which it is applied, and tend to have the same action on the surface of the part of the body which rests upon the article. The lead or other heavy metal sheet when employed also gives suiiicient weight to the article to allow it to be relatively thin and yet be submerged in water Without any tendency to float upward on account of its buoyancy.

When the article is in the form of a bath mat H or l3 (Fig. 3) it maybe readily appliedto the edge portion id of a conventional bath-tub I! to form an anti-slip grip for the hand, or to the bottom portion IQ of the tub, in which latter position its edges will accurately conform to the curved side portions 2| of that bottom without any tendency of those edges to spring away from in contact with the tub and create a condition which might cause the mat to slip when the feet a or othen portions of the body press upon the body of the mat. When the feet, for example, press upon the mat the lead sheet or the like cause the mat readily toconform to the irregularities in surface of the tub and to stay in that position without any tendency of the pressed down portion of the mat to spring away from that surface when the pressure is relieved.

The material of the outer sheets of the mat may have incorporated therewith any suitable germicide or fungicide or both. Conveniently with rubber sheets these may be incorporated as part of the rubber compound.

It will be understood that within the scope of the appended claims wide deviations may be made from the forms of the invention described without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A bath mat or the like comprising a relatively thin metallic sheet substantially coextensive with the area of the mat and formed with a plurality of perforations distributed thereover in spaced relation, relatively thin flexible material covering opposite sides of said metallic sheet and secured thereto, which flexible material extends over said perforations, and, at at least one side of the mat, extends into said perforations to form surface depressions presenting suction cups, said metallic sheet having, in respect to inelasticity, irresiliency, bendability, and form retaining properties when bent, the characteristics of sheet lead.

2. A bath mat or the like comprising a relatively thin lead sheet, which sheet has a plurality of perforations distributed thereover in spaced relation, flexible sheet material of the group consisting of water impervious rubber and rubberized material at each of opposite sides of said lead sheet, the flexible sheet material at one side of said lead sheet being joined to that at the opposite side at portions thereof bounded by the suction cups.

FRANK A. SHINER. 

